North Carolinians understand the need to have healthy children in the classroom, and that’s why we employ school nurses. Our school nurses provide a range of services, including health screening, emergency care, health counseling and treatment for chronic health conditions.

Currently, North Carolina’s nurse-to-student ratio is 1:1,185, which is 32nd in the country – that’s worse than South Carolina (13th), Tennessee (24th), and Virginia (25th).* The CDC recommends that the nurse-to-student ratio be no less than 1:750.

And with state legislators considering millions of dollars in cuts to public education and public health, North Carolina is in jeopardy of losing hundreds of school nurses.

Of NC’s 1,231 school nurses:

-70% are funded by schools districts
-16% are funded by local health departments
-4% are funded by hospitals
-10% are funded by a combination of the above*

If you’re concerned about the fate of school nursing and other public investments in North Carolina, go to www.togethernc.org to learn more about our efforts to promote healthy, successful communities.